Animals and the cultures that worshipped them

[Pckts]

What are you talking about? 
What does education have to do with anything? No empire named had near the education we have today, they saw far less than we see today, know far less, etc.
And no single modern zoologist of any merit would ever say that a lion is "braver than a tiger or bear" or any other way around.

And once again, you name minimal examples, there are just as many dominate empires from Asia, Africa, s. America etc as there are European.
Don't confuse technology for greatness, the invention of modern weapons is what dictated the rise in European areas.

So in the end, if you're saying that "SOME" cultures have idolized the lion throughout history, that is fine. But nothing else can be said in regards to one being more or less "courageous"

And also, I absolutely do not think one culture was/is more intelligent than another. We can look back now and see just as many absurd claims from there time as they could from cultures past which will be the same when our children look back on us.

Funny enough about the Roman arena, the only instance of lion vs tiger in the coliseum resorted in a tiger killing a lion, btw.
But remember, 1000s of animals and people were slaughtered there. These animals were scared, tortured and forced into the most unnatural scenarios you can imagine. the only reason lions were "seen" so often is because they were far easier to obtain during those times. Reply